


At Home

by J_K_U



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gender Identity, M/M, Multi, Original Character(s)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-16
Updated: 2021-02-19
Packaged: 2021-03-10 02:20:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 17,834
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27646063
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/J_K_U/pseuds/J_K_U
Summary: Thinking and daydreaming aren't that different to Akari- who doesn't see a point in her mind remaining in the present. Or his (pronouns change). He has a hard time differentiating between what he feels, so it's better to just to forget about those things and go with the flow.That is how it is until Akari graduates from the academy, placed on a team with two of the most 'don't go with the flow' type of people, Naruto and Sasuke, with a teacher who only has confusing roundabout methods of communicating.(I switch between past and present tense, the entire work is under editing, sorry for the "was's" instead of "is's")
Relationships: Uchiha Sasuke/Uzumaki Naruto
Comments: 4
Kudos: 10





	1. In the Beginning...

"We can't handle her, she never cries or does anything a normal baby would." The couple who had fostered the to-be-named baby handed the aforementioned child to the troubled nurse. The elegant female, Katsumi, fixes the blanket wrapping the small being, she sighs.

"It's alright, though if you ever change your mind, you should know her face turns red when she needs something," the nurse replies. _As if she suppresses the mere thought of crying in need_. The couple leave uncomfortably, the male pulling his wife towards him by her waist, assuring her that they did the right thing. The black-haired medic carries the child back to the room with the other orphaned babies, she apologizes to the baby, whose face had turned red at that moment. "You poor thing," her forehead crinkles at the sight, causing the baby to reach up with the intention to comfort the lady she had come to think of her mother. 

Katsumi places the baby in her small cradle-like bed, brushing away the white baby hairs from the frames of her face. "What pretty eyes you have, the deepest black I've seen on a baby like you," the female laughs to herself, _they stand out especially when your face flushes_. "Like red plums," she compares the pallor of the child's skin to her favorite fruit. "Red plum trees tend to stand out wherever they are grown, like the farmland your late parents owned." 

"Written as red plum tree, read as Akari. It suits you."

-

Today, was like any other day in Akari's book: wake up, get out of bed- this step was very important, get ready for the day, then walk to school in the cool, early hours of the morning. Akari tended to be a little bit absent-minded when he was sleepy, this meant that he had been late to school for the entire first month for the simple reason that he got distracted on his way; it was this way until he forced himself into waking up earlier. 

Akari's eyes wander about the quiet morning in Konohagakure as he discreetly fiddled the zipper on the schoolbag he carried. People were starting their days sluggishly, some opening up shop, but most still sleeping at this early time. Distantly he believes he can hear the pounding of running steps, _probably a younger kid_. But no, a few moments later there came the squeal of Ino Yamanaka. 

"AKARI!" Ino's blonde ponytail follows her vigorous movements as she jumps onto him. "Good morning!" She smiles letting go of her hold on him so she can walk beside her friend.

"...good morning," Akari sighs. He likes Ino, but she was a morning person- he was not. 

"So this morning I woke up and I watered the flowers and helped mum open shop, y'know, then I saw you and thought I could walk to school with you!" Ino rambles. He laughs mutely, sparing his energetic classmate a side glance, though to notice she's lacking something rather important.

"Ino, where's your schoolbag?" 

She freezes in place and Akari pauses to stay with her. 

"I forgot it..." she admits this easily, her smile disappearing as a look of disappointment crosses her face.

"Well then you'd better go back to fetch it." 

Ino shifts anxiously. 

"I'll...I'll accompany you then," he doesn't particularly like spending more time than necessary with one person. 

Ino thanks him, she grabs his hand, dragging him behind her as they back track to her home.

Ino had left Akari with an apologetic smile as she explained that today she wanted to sit next to Sasuke, it wasn't like Akari would mind in the first place. He takes his seat in the back row, in the corner, where he could see everyone. 

Iruka enters the classroom, carrying Naruto by the ropes that bound him. _As usual, it was Naruto who caused the disturbance this morning._

Iruka tosses Naruto onto the ground in front of the class. He huffs stubbornly.

Iruka lectures Naruto, which would be humiliating if Akari knew that in truth- Iruka was trying as hard as he could to straighten Naruto out because he loved him, with the sort of familial love that Akari often wondered about for he lacked family.

"Yes, sir," Naruto grumbles out halfheartedly with a sigh.

Irked by his aloofness towards the situation, Iruka turns to the class. "Today in class we'll be reviewing the art of transformation."

The class voices their disapproval almost unanimously.

 _That's my specialty_ , Akari thinks to himself, _thank goodness_ , _I'll be getting a break_. 

Akari lines up with the other students at the front of the class as one after another they transform into Iruka. The others grumble about this being Naruto's fault.Akari had guessed a long time ago why people in the village ostracized Naruto, and like he was to many other people, Akari was only ever felt indifferent when it came to him.

Going down the line Iruka passes everyone's transformation jutsu. "Your next, Hatake."

Akari stumbles through the hand signs that he already knew before he transforms into Iruka, who nods his approval.

"Next up, Uzumaki." He pretends not to notice when Akari repeats the hand signs to return to his male form. Iruka's attention turns to the young blonde, his eyes like a hawk as he stares him down.

"Here goes nothing," Naruto mumbles to himself.

The signature cloud of smoke of the transformation jutsu swirls around the boy, then slowly dissipates. The transformed mature, female version of Naruto giggles. Shocked, blood drips from both of Iruka's nostrils. With another cloud of smoke Naruto returns to normal, laughing freely. Akari hid his awkward and almost sincere smile with the back of his hand as he turned away. Most of the time he didn't like Naruto humor, however when it came down to messing with adults Akari would find amusement between the lines _._

"I call this one the ninja centerfold!" he exclaims while adjusting his goggles.

Iruka isn't impressed, he growls, before spitting out " _How big of a fool are you?_ You waste all of your time and talent inventing these stupid tricks!" 

Naruto remains unperturbed.

Akari snorts.

"It isn't funny, Hatake!" Iruka turns towards him.

"Oh, um...yeah." Akari composes himself, but his eyes continue to glint with amusement.

"Both of you stay after class, I'll be giving you your punishments then!" _Why me as well?_ Akari wonders. _Iruka is a scary foe._

The class snickers at their expense, but that only angers Iruka more as he spends the rest of the morning lecturing them.

"Naruto..." Akari growls at him begrudgingly. 

"Yeah?" The two were stuck with cleaning Naruto's mess from this morning, the Hokage monument.

"Don't do it again." Akari was referring to Naruto's shenanigans in general. _I didn't mind before, but now Iruka's punishing me for laughing..._

"Do what again?" Naruto asks.

"Ah...never mind." _I get it! A dunderhead like him needs to be slowly brainwashed over time._ Akari nods to himself. 

He lowers himself down from the ropes, he planned on ditching Naruto, extra work like this exhausted him.

"Don't you leave, Hatake!" Iruka shouts at him. He flinches, it slipped his mind that Iruka was there. "Not until every drop of paint here is gone!" 

"Not like I have any time constraints..." Akari mutters.

"Yeah, there's no one waiting for either of us at home anyway." Naruto pouts. The two of them were acquaintances, their paths often crossing because their situations were similar. Neither of them had parents. 

"Naruto..." Iruka's expression saddens for a moment. 

"Now what?" Naruto pauses in his scrubbing. Akari hums a short note of his acknowledgement of Iruka's voice as he raises himself back up again.

"Well...once you both are through here," Iruka looks away from the two of them, flustered. "I'll...we could- I'll buy you both bowls of ramen." 

Akari thinks about it, _food sounds good._

"Yeah! Talk about motivation!" Naruto exclaims happily. 

The two speed up their process, aggressively scrubbing away the traces of graffiti. Naruto maintains a happy, close to one-sided, conversation. He blabbers on about ramen, how Sasuke sucked and he was 'totally going to beat him', he also sometimes asked questions.

"Could you beat Sasuke?"

"Probably."

"I've been wondering, why'd you change your hairstyle?"

"I changed it three years ago..."

"I still wonder!"

"'Cuz," Akari wouldn't reply to questions like that.

"Oh hey, are we done?" This time Naruto is asking Iruka, who had been listening to their discussion.

"Huh? Yeah!" Iruka directs them into put away the clean-up materials before heading for Ichiraku Ramen. Iruka orders for Akari and Teuchi already knew what Naruto wants.

"It's not often you eat here," Teuchi addresses Akari.

"Mah," Akari stuffs his face, his speed rivaling Naruto's, and his chest tightening as he held his breath while eating. He gulps down the last of his miso soup, "Too many smells." 

Teuchi chuckles with amusement. He understood, many ninja's had sensitive noses, those of the Hatake clan more so. Akari heaves out a long sigh, before pausing his breathing again. "I'm tired, thanks for the food." 

_Too tired_. As soon as Akari had turned the corner his transformation jutsu dissolved. _I've been using too much chakra._ She trips, then catches herself, grasping at the fabric of the clothes on her chest. She steadies her breathing which had become short, _now to get home_. She somehow manages this feat despite her lack of energy of which she thought food would replenish. 

"I'm home." The tired sentiment slips out before Akari realizes what she said. She takes off her shoes and attempts to get up, "ah." _I'll just...sleep here_. She collapses in the entrance of her apartment, fatigue bringing her sleep.

Stats (Genin):

Ninjutsu: | Taijutsu: | Genjutsu: | Intelligence: | Strength: | Speed: | Stamina*: | Hand Seals: | Total:  
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---  
5/10 | 3/10 | 2/10 | 8/10 | 4/10 | 6/10 | 1/10 | 5/10 | 17/40  
  
*Her stamina worries me, if she doesn't fix it she'll develop health problems...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The other day I questioned my gender identity in the shower. The shower seems to be a place where I ponder things, like if I were to get the chance to reincarnate in Naruto I would punch Hiruzen. Or hire someone to do so because I'm lack physical strength...


	2. Still in the Beginning

"For your final exam you'll be creating doppelgangers. Wait here until your name is called then come next door." Iruka instructs his students. 

Unfortunately, this morning, Akari woke up late and sore from lying on the floor. He had rushed through his morning, using the rooftops to get to the academy, it was luck and experience together that contributed to him getting away doing so in the residential district. _I overslept...,_ his eyelids droop and flutter back open. "Sleepy...", he mumbles to himself. _Gotta maintain my transformation jutsu,_ Akari thinks as his head dips downwards. 

"Hatake, Akari."

Akari rises from his seat, he breathes deeply a couple of times before making his way down from the back of the raised classroom. 

"Nervous?" Naruto asks him as he passes by.

"No." _A little._

He enters the room next door, Mizuki and Iruka observe him from their seats behind a desk. 

_Ram-tiger-snake._ With the smoothness of practice Akari creates a body double of his transformed self.

"You pass," Iruka tells him, pride in his voice. He gestures Akari over to pick out a Konoha forehead protector. Akari heaves a sigh of relief, his double disappearing in a cloud of smoke. "I'm impressed you were able to do it whilst using a transformation jutsu."

Mizuki agrees with Iruka, telling him that something like that wasn't taught at the academy.

"Oh, well...I've been constantly using this transformation jutsu while practicing and such..." Akari replies. He didn't understand what was so impressive about it, she hated the way some people would look at him as a girl, so she became a he. He was a girl at his apartment, and he didn't mind as long as no one saw her, despite this he felt more at home when people said to him 'Boy, c'mere,' or on his behalf: 'Akari's a boy, dumby,' (Ino). 

"That might be troublesome in the future, when the time comes, listen to your jonin teacher." What he was really thinking was something along the lines of 'you're wasting your chakra, use it for more important things'. 

"Yeah," Akari replies, with no intention to listen to Mizuki's advice. He walks swiftly out, uncomfortable by what the teacher was implying.

Akari fixes his hair, ties the headband around his forehead, and fixes his hair again. He exits the academy building, the chatter of excited, newly named 'genin' overwhelms him for a moment. He stands away from them, watching their parents' congratulations with a small spark of jealousy that he quickly smothers. He glances around the courtyard, looking for Naruto. He had thought he was on the swing hanging under the tree, distancing himself from the genin and their parents like Akari was. He most likely left in consequence of the cruel words cast his way when the others had learned of his failure to pass the exam. 

_I'll leave as well._

Two days passed like a gurgling stream, an image he would stop to look at, then move on and forget all about it. Akari arrives later than usual to the academy. _I could've sworn my alarm was set to go off earlier,_ he ponders the inconsistency in his morning routine as he slides to an abrupt stop before slamming the classroom sliding door open and darting into the room. 

...Where Naruto and Sasuke were kissing? 

Momentarily stunned by the sight, Akari freezes, blocking Iruka from entering the classroom behind him. _I thought Naruto saw him as a rival._ Behind the privacy of his hand he cracks a brooding smile. Sometimes watching relationships change for the best or for the worst in real life was better than merely reading about it. 

Unfortunately for Naruto, Sakura- who liked Sasuke for some reason, wasn't very happy with the situation. She cracks her knuckles while Naruto begs forgiveness, "Naruto... _how dare you_." 

Akari flinches on his behalf, then again when Iruka places a hand on his shoulder.

"You're blocking the doorway." Akari quickly moves aside, briefly touching the place where the hand had lingered, then moving on to sit next to Naruto who was now gently prodding his skin, tender from Sakura's punches. Iruka goes on to explain the duties of their class as genin, "We will be dividing you into three-man cells. Each will be monitored by a jonin, a more senior ninja who will guide and coach you as you become familiar with your various assignments." 

_Three-man cells? I dislike teamwork, but if we have to..._ Akari sighs, next to him he can feel Naruto's anticipation.

"I made the selections so that each cell's abilities would be approximately equal." _What'll I do if I get put on a team with two total losers?_ Akari listens very carefully, glad when he hears the names of the people he deemed the weakest called out on different teams.

"Next, cell number seven: Hatake Akari, Uzumaki Naruto, and Uchiha Sasuke." 

"Come on," Akari lets slip with a quiet, tired groan. _Two total losers!_ Naruto thought almost the same thing, he loudly voiced his dislike about being on a team with Sasuke.

"Of the twenty-seven of you all, Sasuke and Akari have some of the best scores, Naruto, you'd be at the bottom of the class," Iruka tells him. "Do you get it? The teams are about equal power." _Were you listening to what he said earlier?_

"Hmm, just don't drag me down," Sasuke concedes, he seemed to have recovered from the surprise earlier. "Dunce."

"What'd you call me?" Naruto shouts.

Akari rolls his eyes before gently knocking his fist against the top of Naruto's head. _I can brainwash him to listening to me like this. Heh._

The afternoon arrives, but their jonin teacher did not, and Naruto wanted to punish him for this. He places a chalkboard eraser between the sliding door and the door frame.

"That's what he gets for making us wait!" Naruto exclaims, hopping down from the chair he had used to stand on to perform the nefarious deed.

"A jonin wouldn't get caught in such a simplistic trap," Sasuke tells him, in one of his brooding positions- sitting behind one of the front row desks. He is proven wrong only moments later when a tall, white-spiky-haired man slipped into the doorway. 

Clouds of chalk billow around his head. Naruto laughs, "You fell for it!" 

"It worked..." Akari says skeptically. Next to him, Sasuke doesn't attempt to hide his disappointment with them all.

"Hmm, how should I put this? Based on first impressions..." their teacher muses. "I dislike you!" 

"Now, I'd like you all to tell us a little about yourselves," their teacher had forced them to the roof after his 'first impression'.

"Like what?" Oddly enough it was Sasuke who had asked the question, he probably couldn't stand being given a question without visible parameters.

"Uh, y'know...the usual. Your favorite thing...what you hate most...dreams, ambitions, hobbies, and the like." _You have yet to introduce yourself and you're asking us that?_ Akari breathes deeply in frustration.

"You go first. Show us how it's done," Naruto nods his head to their teacher. He was relaxed now, like Sasuke, the both of them sitting down while Akari was standing a little ways behind the two.

"Oh...me? My name is Hatake Kakashi. I'm the kind of person who doesn't feel like talking about his likes and dislikes," he doesn't even spare the three a glance through his monologue. His gaze fixates on something above them, perhaps the clouds, as a tired tone creeps into his voice. "My dreams for the future are none of your business...but anyway, I have a lot of hobbies..." 

"That was a roundabout way of telling us your name," Akari surmises. He takes his chance to sit down on Naruto's right.

"Huh, I didn't even notice," Naruto grumbles to himself. 

"Now it's your turn. Starting with you on the right," he gestures halfheartedly towards Akari.

"Akari, written with the kanji for 'red plum tree'," the genin murmurs as if he himself were hearing the words aloud for the first time. He leaves out his clan name, with the hopeful wish that Kakashi's expectations wouldn't rise if he heard it. "I like naps and I don't like strong smells, I suppose. My goal is to become a great shinobi, then take a whole bunch of s-rank missions and retire early." _My goal is actually to find one or two people who will pamper me when I need pampering...but whatever._

"Me next!" Naruto exclaims. "My name is Uzumaki Naruto!"

Akari blanks out on the rest of his introduction, he already knew that Naruto loves ramen, there was no need to hear him talk again...especially after how long he droned on about it when they were cleaning the Hokage monument. He shudders.

"My dream is to one day be a better shinobi than Lord Hokage! And then all the villagers will have to acknowledge my existence at last!" _Naruto...what lofty goals for someone with your grades._ "Ah, my hobbies are pranks and practical jokes.

Kakashi nods his approval towards Naruto's goal. He then reaches up to scratch his head as he says: "Next."

"My name is Uchiha Sasuke," the boy doesn't budge an inch, his elbows resting on his knees, spread apart from one another, and his hands together in front of his face. Akari had long since noted Sasuke's exemplary ability to build a wall between himself and other people. "There are plenty of things I hate, but I don't see why it would matter considering there is almost nothing I do like. It seems pointless to talk about 'dreams'. That's just a word...but what I do have is determination. I plan to restore my clan. And there's someone I have sworn to kill."

"I believe we all understand each other." Kakashi slightly alleviates the tension that seemed to weigh down on the group at Sasuke's words. "Formal training begins tomorrow, our first project involves only the members of this cell."

"What? What is it?" Naruto asks after Kakashi pauses. 

"Survival exercises." If Akari knew better he'd have realized Kakashi was smirking underneath his mask. "But you'll have to survive against me. It won't be your typical practice..." He laughs lightly, crossing his arms in front of his stomach.

"Why are'ya laughing?" Naruto asks. 

"Oh, nothing really. It's just that if I told you, you'd chicken out." 

"Chicken out? Why?" Akari empathized with Naruto's doubt, the survival exercises at the academy were easy, meant to teach them how to apply the skills they had learned in the most delicate way possible- due to the intervention of overprotective parents.

"Of the twenty-seven members of your graduating class, only nine will actually be accepted as junior-level shinobi. The other eighteen must go back for training." His expression darkens, as if he wants to intimidate the three of them, Sasuke, Naruto, and Akari. "The test we are about to perform has a sixty-six percent rate of failure."

Sasuke looks like he's about to snap from the pressure of Kakashi's words, Naruto was shocked, and Akari was thinking that at least the rate of failure wasn't zero. 

"See? You're chickening out already!" Kakashi exclaims, snickering at their reactions. 

"That sucks! We've been through hell! What about our graduation test?" Naruto shouts. 

"Yeah! I overslept on the testing day so there's the chance I'll oversleep tomorrow as well," Akari joins in.

"You arrived on time though," Sasuke tells Akari.

"I could've been late..."

"We wanted to eliminate all the hopeless cases from your ranks. The ones who are left are the only students who show a decent bit of potential," Kakashi tells them. 

"Say what?" Naruto asks, who looks like he’s about to blow a fuse.

Kakashi cuts him off quickly before he can throw a tantrum. "In any event, tomorrow I'll be evaluating your skills on the practice fields, so bring your weapons and such." Naruto is whimpering at this point. "And don't have breakfast beforehand...unless you enjoy throwing up."

 _If it's a survival exercise I can probably run away from whatever we're surviving from. Good thing I can run fast, even if it's only in short bursts._ Akari's almost-optimistic from earlier was quickly stifled by the negativity of difference.

Kakashi tosses them handouts halfheartedly, declaring all the information they needed should be on there. Akari scans through the piece of paper, the he didn't comprehend a word of it as he realizes that he is nervous.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes Akari's reactions are delayed. He tends to not process his emotions properly...


	3. In this Chapter, Akari is a boy?

Akari arrived in the early morning, not surprisingly Sasuke was already at the practice grounds. A cross-body bag holding his ninja tools rested next to were he was leaning against a tree, his eyes were closed, though Akari was certain he knew he was there. 

"Morning," Akari expects no reply, briefly surprised when he receives a nod of acknowledgement. After only a few minutes does Naruto arrive, happily declaring this out loud, he looks around for their teacher.

"Where's Kakashi-sensei?" He asks. 

Akari shrugs in response, "Not sure." He takes a seat under the shade of the tree Sasuke is under, predicting that like yesterday, their teacher will be late.

"Good morning class!" Kakashi arrives as foreseen, acting as if nothing is wrong as he strolls up to Sasuke, Naruto, and Akari, his hand raised in the air.

Akari and Naruto rise to their feet, the latter throwing a short fit at their teachers tardiness. Kakashi waves away their anger as walks right past them, heading towards the river flowing by the training grounds.

"I've set this alarm to go off at noon." Kakashi gestures to a clock he had placed at the training grounds beforehand, it rests on top of one of the three tree stumps in front of the tree line. "I have here two bells," he tells them, holding the jingling objects up. "Your challenge is to steal these away from me before the timer sounds. If you fail, you get no lunch. Instead, you'll be tied to the tree stumps so I can eat your lunch in front of you." Kakashi tilts his head slightly to the side, because Akari knew better from yesterday he was aware that beneath his mask, Kakashi was smiling. _A sadist? I knew I should have eaten breakfast...I should be good enough for a while though,_ Akari fidgets with the folds in his hakama pants. _From what I've seen Kakashi uses roundabout methods of getting his point across, am I missing something? No, I shouldn't waste my energy thinking about it._

Next to him he hears Naruto's and Sasuke's stomachs growl.

"All you need is just one bell, apiece. But since there aren't enough to go around, one of you is definitely headed for the stump. Whoever it is..." Kakashi pauses, causing more stress to flow through his students, just as he intended. "...will be the first to fail. One of you is on your way back to school." The bells jingle again, more ominously as Akari wonders _why is Kakashi-sensei sending one of us back already? Isn't this a three-man cell, (plus our jonin teacher)?_

Naruto gulps audibly. Sasuke shifts his weight from on foot to the other.

"You may, if you choose, use shuriken. Attack as though you mean to kill or you'll never stand a chance." Kakashi snaps his hand closed around the bells with this last direction, his mood seeming to flip at the toss of a coin.

"You couldn't even dodge an eraser!" Naruto exclaims, relaxing easily as he rests his hands on the backside of his head. "You're gonna get yourself killed!"

"Naruto-"

"Only the weak speak loudly." Kakashi cuts Akari off. "Now, lets forget the dunce, and we'll start on my signal." _Forget running away, even if I planned to do so this situation calls for a different solution._

Naruto seems to have approximately the same train of thought as he angrily slides his kunai from the pouch on his thigh with his middle finger, spinning it briefly before grasping it firmly in his hand. His body tenses, preparing to leap at Kakashi who taunts them by jingling the bells before them once more. Akari prepares himself to leap away from the situation, observing your opponent was important- however, he doesn't get the chance to move, and neither does Naruto.

With three swift movements Kakashi grabs the hand holding the kunai, twisting it around to point at the back of Naruto's neck, his other hand rests on Naruto's head, subduing him. "Not so fast," Kakashi says in a low tone. "I didn't give you any signal."

 _Faster than the chunin who teach us at the academy, so this is a jonin, my eyes could barely keep up,_ Akari flusters, about to turn away.

"At least you were planning to strike to kill...so it seems you've begun to respect me." Kakashi glances momentarily at Akari, observing his ready position. He laughs lightly, "Maybe, just maybe, I'm starting to like you three. And now...begin!"

Akari lies low under the bushes just before where the trees ended. _Intonjutsu is my specialty, I always hated being noticed so erasing my presence became second nature. With Kakashi-sensei I get the feeling he'll notice me even if I do that. Disguising my presence might work, I should make it so I give of the vibes of a plant._ Akari pays close attention to his chakra, he was planning to observe how his cell-mates approached the challenge set by their devious teacher. 

Naruto, the dog that bursts in and barks first, doesn't even begin to think about the proper tactics he should apply as he shouts: "Let's begin our match, worthy of the greatest warriors!" _Does he even know who the greatest warriors in history are?_

"You may be thinking of the wrong kind of match..." Kakashi warns Naruto apprehensively. _A head-on approach, sensei may use roundabout methods but Naruto isn't at a level high enough to outdo him with skills at all. What is he thinking?_ Akari ponders Naruto's motives, though he soon remembers that Naruto doesn't care for thinking ahead. 

"The only thing wrong here is your hairstyle!" Naruto darts forward, senbon needles in hand. 

Kakashi's posture doesn't change as he casts a sidelong glance at Naruto, his hand slips into the pack resting on his hip, this halts Naruto in his tracks. "Let me teach you your first ninjutsu skill! Taijutsu, the art of the trained body!" And yet, Kakashi seems to still be rifling through whatever is in his bag. The reason is revealed seconds later as Kakashi pulls out a book, who's genre is irrelevant to anything Kakashi might teach them. _Make-out Paradise? Perhaps I read wrong from this distance._ Akari's chance to get a better look is lost when Kakashi turns towards Naruto, his head bowed slightly in the direction of the book. "Is something wrong? I thought you were coming for me." _Taunting the wild fox._

"But...why are you...that's a book!" Naruto seems stumped as he thrusts an accusatory finger towards Kakashi. 

"Of course, it's a book. I've been dying to find out how this story ends. Carry on." Kakashi reaches for the corner of the page. "It shouldn't make any difference in the outcome, considering who I'm up against." 

Naruto had been captured easily, even after his impressive effort utilizing shadow clones, a technique Akari hadn't seen before. Sasuke had taken the interval in which he believed Kakashi would let his guard down, while tying Naruto up, to launch an attack of his own, shurikens. Kakashi used a substitution jutsu to escape the predicament and once Sasuke realized his location was revealed he had fled into the forest, where he would most likely set up traps for Kakashi who followed him in. 

Akari took this opportunity to travel through the underbrush before, as stealthily as he could, and cross the gap between the tree Naruto was strung up to. _With more distractions Kakashi-sensei might give me the opportunity to go for a_ _bell_ , Akari thinks to himself. 

He senses him before he hears him.

"There you are," Kakashi says, a little ways behind Akari. 

Akari leaps into the air, throwing shuriken drawn from his sleeves from such an angle that Kakashi's only option was to jump back. He darts towards the river and Kakashi’s right side, a blind spot because his right eye was covered, before making a hard turn and lunging straight for the bells hanging from the edge of Kakashi's jacket. However, Kakashi uses his momentum against him, right as he was going to grasp a bell he feels a hand on his back, pushing him into a shallow part of the river the practice grounds were next to. This was to his advantage though, he pours chakra into the splash created by his landing, then sending the spinning shuriken shaped water orbs towards Kakashi- who disappears, _a shadow clone?_ Akari ponders this result, not for long because a wave of exhaustion hits him.

"I didn't know you could use water style!" Naruto shouts from where he hangs, thrashing in his confines. "Oh! Hey can you cut me down?" He slowly makes his way towards his companion, pulling a shuriken from the ground and cutting the rope hanging Naruto up. 

"I'm going to rest for a bit," Akari murmurs, sitting down. The energy was wasted, Naruto had already left to who-knows-where. _I shouldn't have used that water-style jutsu, it expends too much chakra,_ he reprimands himself for his poor choice. With a heaving sigh Akari reluctantly releases their transformation jutsu, her hair flows down to the ground, it cascades around and in front of her face like a curtain, hiding it from anyone who might see.

"Don't let your guard down," there came the voice of Kakashi and this time Akari was certain it's the real him. He had appeared, almost out of nowhere, in front of Akari. _If he sees me he won't let me use my transformation jutsu anymore. I can't let him see me. I can't let him see me._ Akari darts behind the tree, she was resting under. Kakashi goes to look around the rough bark of the tree's trunk, but she had already vanished. 

Akari was crouching on one of the more sturdy branches growing high up in the tree. Assured that Kakashi won't be able to sense her disguised presence, she throws senbon needles down at Kakashi, they hit, but they hit a substitution. Wooziness overcomes Akari as she sways on the tree branch, she grasps the bark of the tree but her feeble attempt to stay awake is worthless.

Black dots march into her vision as she falls forward, but never hits the ground.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I should go to sleep. I'm adding these notes so you readers are entranced enough to get through the slow chapters. Akira will eventually level up...I mean gain character development.


	4. Kakashi's Decision

A feeling of vertigo and the smell of food wakes Akari from were she rests against a tree stump, her hakama pants were damp due to the moist, early afternoon grass she sat on. To her left was Naruto, bound to the tree stump in the middle of the lineup, and on Naruto's left sits Sasuke, who looks as if his guarded mask of indifference is about to shatter to pieces.

"Not one of the three of you will ever be ninja," Kakashi declares darkly.

"Becoming a ninja is all I've ever known," Akari murmurs sourly, looking at her empty hands with disgust through the strands of her hair, her words are drowned out by Naruto who thrashes against his bonds.

"What do you mean? Give up?" He asks Kakashi. Sasuke looks equally enraged, more expressive than usual. "Give me a break! Okay, so none of us got our hands on one of your stupid bells- but why the hell should we quit over that?" 

"Because not one of you has what it takes." 

Sasuke darts forward, Akari stumbles to her feet before falling back down slightly behind the tree stump she had been leaning against.

_I lack motivation sometimes, but I'll never forgo the resolve that keeps me on this path._

And Kakashi? He simply overpowered Sasuke, sitting on top of his back, one foot pressing down on his head and one hand gripping his arm which he twisted behind his back. 

"What you are is a trio of spoiled brats," Kakashi tells them, his tone a demeaning one.

"Really?" Akari asks quietly. "And who spoiled us?" _None of us have parents to do so._

"Are you trying to make fun of the shinobi with your behavior? Well?" He poses the question suddenly, and Akari could see where he was coming from. "Did you even stop to wonder for a minute why you were divided into teams?" 

"If it's teamwork then why are there only two bells?" She didn't often get angry, but sometimes she couldn't stand the way adults acted. As if just because they were older they could manipulate whomever and do whatever they wanted. Being an adult is not an excuse.

"That was the point?" Naruto yells. "If it is, then answer Akari's question!"

"Of course. This task was designed to cause dissension among your ranks. This situation was set up to reveal which of you would set aside your individual interests and propose to the others that you work together for the good of all. 

Instead of which, Naruto tried to do single handedly what should have been the work of all three! And Sasuke had already decided that you, Akari, and Naruto just got in his way and he was better off playing solo. I almost got my hopes up when Akari went to aid Naruto, however it seems it didn't even cross your mind to propose teamwork. _You're a team._ Learn to act as one! It's necessary for ninja to have individual skills, but what is even more important now is teamwork!

Making a play as an individual is bad for the team and exposes your comrades to unnecessary danger. You might as well kill them yourself. A day may come, when one of you is taken hostage, and you're forced to make an 'impossible' choice. When you're on a mission, your lives will always be on the line." Kakashi sighs, he releases Sasuke and heads past Naruto and Akari towards a stone. "Look at all the names carved in this stone. Heroes of our village. Ninja."

Naruto grins, "That's it! I just made up my mind, there's where I want my name to go! I'm not gonna throw my life away, I want to be like them- a hero!" 

Sasuke merely sighs a sound of contempt at Naruto's declaration.

"But the ones listed there aren't just any heroes..." Kakashi clears his throat, facing away from his three students. 

"Really? What kind of heroes are they?" Naruto asks excitedly.

"The dead kind. They died in the line of duty." An uncomfortable silence spreads like a cloak over the three genin. "This is a memorial. It includes the names of my best friends." 

_Oh._

"Pay attention! I'm giving you all one last chance. One that will be far more difficult than our last little game with the bells. If you're prepared you may eat one of the bento boxes, but no sharing with Naruto, he goes hungry," Kakashi tells them.

"Why?" It was Sasuke who wondered about this rule.

"He brought it on himself when he tried to sneak lunch for himself. If either of you feeds him, you fail the test right there," Kakashi turns to face them. "My word is law. Do you understand?" Kakashi uses a teleportation jutsu to leave the three of them alone. 

"Hey, this'll be a breeze! I can go without lunch, no problem." Naruto's stomach disagrees with him loudly. 

Sasuke had settled into his bento while Akari was just staring at hers, the smell of the food overwhelming her. _It'll be no use, I didn't eat breakfast and I might throw this up,_ Akari pokes the rice with her chopsticks. 

Naruto's stomach growls again, and Sasuke thrusts his bento in his direction. "I'm not worried or anything like that. Kakashi-sensei's probably miles away by now. And we'll all need our strength if we're going to work together to get those bells." Sasuke nods in Akari's direction as well, telling her to eat. "You're no good to me if you're just going to be a liability..."

Naruto's cheeks flush with happiness as he smiles. Akari holds her bento up for Naruto as well, sure that the gesture would get her unspoken words across. _I have food to spare for you as well._

"Oh...thanks..." Akari stands up to feed Naruto who had spoken his gratitude. 

The heartfelt moment is interrupted when a cloud of smoke appears before them, it writhes and swirls before Kakashi's face pops out from it. "YOU!" He shouts. "Pass." The smoke disperses, Kakashi smiles, leaning forward and winking, though it was hard to tell because his right eye remained covered by his forehead protector.

 _What? Why?_ Akari doesn’t voice her question out loud, delayed fear of hearing her voice out loud shutting her lips together tightly _._

"You three have just taken a giant step forward. Up until now, all any of you have done is listen unquestioningly to everything I say. Like mindless, little drones," he laughs at them. "A true shinobi seeks the hidden meanings within hidden meanings. In a ninja's world, those who violate the rules and fail to follow orders are lower than garbage. However, _those who do not care for and support their fellows, are even lower than that!_ " 

Sasuke smiles to himself, as if he had realized this before offering to share his food. Akari draws her hair around her face as she contemplates this sentiment, and Naruto looks as if he genuinely respects Kakashi. 

"That's all for today, team seven. Your duties will commence tomorrow." Kakashi snaps them a thumbs-up. "Alright, let's go home." Kakashi turns away, both Akari and Sasuke pick up their satchels and trail behind him.

"Um...hey...guys? I'm still tied up here!" Naruto cries out after their receding figures.

"Now then, the next assignment for Kakashi's team seven will be..." Lord Hokage refers to a piece of paper in his hand, smoking a pipe of tobacco. "Hmm, to babysit for the council of elders...to run errands to the neighboring village...to help dig up sweet potatoes..." he lists them out loud for Kakashi to decide what to do next. Their last mission had been a bland one, catching the daimyo's wife's cat which had run away. 

"That sounds boring!" Naruto cuts him off. "Give us something different to do!" 

"I don't think we can request higher ranked missions as genin, Naruto," Akari tells him. Fortunately, when Akari had met up with team seven, Kakashi had not mentioned anything about his changing appearance. 

"Exactly!" Iruka exclaims, he had been assisting the third Hokage when team seven finished their cat-catching mission. "You're beginners, everyone starts out doing grunt work- it's where you get experience, so you can work up your way to the bigger things."

"We've done tons of small stuff! Can't we get some action?" Naruto begs. 

Akari nods vigorously, "I have found these past few missions boring as well." 

Kakashi bonks them both on the head as he tells them to knock it off. 

"Apparently, you both need an explanation of just what these duties are," the third hokage says, gesturing to the missions spread out on the table. "You see, everyday our village receives many requests, for everything from babysitting to assassination. We take that tremendous variety..." Akari blanks out on the rest of his explanation, instead taking the time to stare off into the distance. _I heard Kakashi-sensei is a famous ninja, it won't be weird if I ask him for his autograph, will it? Then I can forge adoption papers._ Akari had started liked his elder Hatake, he had perceived his skill first hand and also heard he had nindogs, a perfect fit for Akari. Yesterday, he asked if it was Kakashi who had prepared the bentos for their test, and low and behold he did. He holds his chin with one hand, his other hand supporting its elbow, his scheming pose.

"Hmm...I had pork ramen for lunch yesterday, so I think I'll have miso ramen today," Naruto muses to himself, completely turned away from where the Hokage sat.

"A forged signature...will they notice?" Akari quietly wonders to himself.

" _Are you listening?_ " Lord Hokage shouts. 

"I'm sorry..." Kakashi apologizes nervously. He casts a suspicious look at Akari while scratching the back of head then turning to look at Naruto again.

"It's not fair! There's more to me than the trouble-making screw up the old man thinks I am!" Naruto refuses to turn around, still facing in the wrong direction- he can see Akari who had been backing him this entire time once again agreeing with him.

The third hokage sighs, "I'm going to be in so much trouble for this later. Very well, since you put it that way..." the old man briefly trails off. "I will permit you to attempt a c grade- usually reserved for shinobi of the journeyman level, the protection of a certain individual." 

Even Kakashi looks shocked by the hokage's words, Sasuke merely looked content with the outcome and Akari was still scheming how to get Kakashi's hanko stamp. _Perhaps I should carve a replica, but then I'd need to see the original._

"Who is it? Some great lord? The _daimyo_? A princess?" Naruto asks quizzically.

"Compose yourself. I'll perform the introductions straightaway," Lord Hokage turns to one of the chunin by the door. "Please invite him in."

The door creaks open and a slightly chaotic engineer leans against the door frame. The old man holds a bottle of sake, from which he had already drunk a significant amount. "What's going on here? They look like a bunch of wet-nosed brats. Especially the midget. He's got the face of an imbecile. It's a joke right? You kids aren't really ninja, are you?" 

Naruto laughs, looking between Akari and Sasuke to see who he called a midget, before he realizes that he was the shortest in the group. "I'll kill him!" 

"Wrong. No killing the old man you've been assigned to protect," Kakashi warns Naruto, grabbing his collar to prevent him from launching an attack. 

The old man adjusts the spectacles that had been sliding down his nose. "I am Tazuna, a bridge builder of great renown. Until I am safely back in my own country, where I'll be completing my next bridge, you'll all be expected to protect me. Even if it costs you your lives!"


	5. An Antagonist

"Road trip!" Naruto shouts jubilantly. Team seven, along with their client, were standing just outside of the main entrance to Konoha, a long path before them with trees on either side. _The village hidden in the leaves indeed._ "This'll be our first time outside the village! Right, Akari?" Naruto asks him. 

Akari nods, stepping slightly behind Kakashi- he had other things on his mind. Naruto grins, still taking in the landscape. "Am I really expected to place my life in the hands of this fool?" Tazuna questions Kakashi snidely.

"There's no reason for concern, I'm an elite ninja and I'll be along too..." Kakashi sounds almost depressed at his own words. 

"Listen, one day I'm going to be the next lord hokage, so remember my name! It's Uzumaki Naruto." 

"And I’ll be doing all the paper work for you, with your grades and all, y’know," Akari adds on, stepping forward, Naruto's confidence was contagious.

"Hokage, eh? The lord of your village? Thinking of such things while being someone like you, I doubt either of you have it in ya'," Tazuna takes another sip from his sake bottle.

"Well you're old and stupid! I'm doing all the right things and I'm doing them fast!" Naruto argues loudly. "And when I become hokage you're gonna wish you were a lot more respectful to me right now!" _Isn't the hokage supposed to be mature?_ Akari wonders. _Well if it's Naruto...I suppose it's fine. He deserves some good fortune, as a matter of fact so do I! I will do whatever it takes to forge adoption papers so Kakashi-sensei has to take care of me._

"Respect you? I don't think so, not even if you did become hokage."

"You're dead!" Naruto exclaims. Akari was also angered, he reached for his shuriken pouch, only to scare him, he swore. 

"I said _no_ you little dunce," Kakashi says, once again grabbing Naruto's collar to prevent him from attacking, he did this while simultaneously grabbing Akari's wrist to stop his plan from unfolding as well. The physical contact of Akari's mentor befuddled him, it had been a long time since someone Akari liked last touched him for that long.

Cell number seven walked in a diamond formation around Tazuna, Sasuke leading in the front, Naruto taking Tazuna's left side, Akari taking his right, and Kakashi guarding the rear. They had made considerable progress, however Akari sensed something was amiss. He felt as if someone was watching them, though he couldn't find the source of the feeling so he presumed he was merely being paranoid. 

Over time, the formation had become more loose, Akari had fallen back a little to walk closer to Tazuna and Kakashi, Naruto had done the opposite, gravitating away from the disagreeable bridge builder- towards Sasuke. 

"Kakashi-sensei, can I see what your hanko looks like?" Akari asks as they pass by a puddle of water.

"Wh-" His answer never comes. 

"One little piggie," the voice expresses no emotion, and perhaps for that reason it is so incredibly terrifying. Two ninja partners, each wearing a gauntlet that connects to the other with barbed chain links. They quickly take care of Kakashi, pulling the chain taut from either side of where it wrapped around the jonin severing his limbs, torso, and head from each other. They're fast, heading next to Naruto, "Two little piggies," the pair says. Except this time Sasuke is faster, he leaps into the air, throwing a shuriken then a kunai to pin the chain to a tree. Akari takes a ready stance, pulling a kunai from its holster and sliding in front of Tazuna, kicking up dry dirt. Naruto remains frozen in place as Sasuke lands on the assailants heads, he shifts his weight to his hands then kicks them both simultaneously. 

The ninja, brothers _maybe,_ release some mechanism that disconnects their gauntlets to the barbed chain. They ignore Sasuke, instead one going for Akari who stood in front of Tazuna, the other going around for Naruto again. _That gauntlet, the fingers are sharpened and I can smell poison- I have to be careful, a scratch could end this fight swiftly._

"Stay back," Akari tells the bridge builder, he pulls another kunai from his holster, holding the two in front of him with his arms crossed like a shield. _I'm smaller and faster, I'll use the kunai to hold his gauntlet back, I just need momentum._ Akari leaps forward, prepared to drive the kunai in between the gauntlet's metal fingers- he never reaches his opponent- Kakashi had reappeared, first grabbing the shinobi that had been heading for Naruto then the one heading for Akari. His prompt actions had been enough to prevent any deaths or major injuries, however, the rusty scent of blood tickles Akari's nose as he stood stock still.

"I'm sorry Naruto, I should have moved to help you sooner- before you were injured. It never occurred to me that you might freeze up," Kakashi apologizes. 

Akari's eyes were still wide with shock and adrenaline, though it might as well have been fear because he felt as if his heart was lodged in his throat. Queasiness from the smell of blood creeps into his stomach, _so it was Naruto who was bleeding._

"Good job, Akari, Sasuke."

Sasuke was unshaken by the battle that had passed, though to Akari, it felt as if his forehead was drowning with sweat. He wished it were only a result of his low stamina, and not his mental downfalls.

"Are you okay, you big chicken?" Sasuke asks Naruto tauntingly. Akari barely hears him as he returns his kunai to their place in the pouch bound to his thigh. 

"There's no time for fighting. Their claws were poisoned, we have to clean your wound as soon as possible, Naruto," Kakashi's voice takes authority over the situation. 

"Stay still, breathe slowly to calm your heart rate to slow the spread of the poison," Akari quietly tells Naruto, walking towards him before stopping next to Kakashi. 

"Mr. Tazuna, I need to speak with you." Akari is tasked with tying the two enemy ninja together by a rope, he wastes no time doing so. Afterwards, Akari stands in the shade of the tree the mist ninja were tied under, hiding her face and exhaustion. "Our attackers appeared to be journeyman level ninjas from Kirigakure, mist ninjas. They were watching and waiting for us, the sun is out and it hasn't rained for several days so there shouldn't have been any puddles on the ground."

"If you knew all that, why did you even let those creeps attack you?" Tazuna asks, oddly though, there was not a hint of hostility in his voice.

"I could have killed them at any time. I wanted to find out who their real target was, was Tazuna really the one they were after? Or was it one of us ninja?" Kakashi questions. "There had been no word of any shinobi seeking to take your life. The request that was relayed to Lord Hokage was that you have an escort to protect you against any roving bands of thieves and brigands. In any event, this is more than a _b_ rank mission. To protect you from ordinary dangers until you complete the bridge you're currently constructing would have been a simple thing."

Akari is busy keeping her eyes on the two she had tied up, she distracts herself from the thoughts that would normally crowd her head when she's in her female form by listening to what Kakashi has to say. 

"If you expected to be the target of a ninja assault- then it is beyond question that this would have been classified and priced as a mission for elite ninja. You may have had your reasons, but it's never a good idea to conceal the facts when you are asking for help. As it is, this task falls far beyond the boundaries of the job we were assigned." Akari feels as if Kakashi is saying this mostly for his team's sake rather than educating Tazuna.

"Does that mean we're still going to carry on with the mission? Naruto's injured..." Akari asks. She cringes at the sound of her voice, her hands going to her hair and bringing it around her face. Her eyes still remain on the immobile two offenders, like a hawk she stares the brothers down despite her rising insecurities. Her attention doesn't waver, not even when Naruto stabs his wound with a kunai increasing the odor of blood and washing out the poison from his hand. 

"With this kunai knife, I promise I will protect the old man. Reporting, fit for duty, Master!" _Obviously not,_ Akari sighs with guilt. Naruto was correct, at the ninja academy Iruka had raised them with the a sense of duty that told them to see things through to the end. Akari hadn't particularly taken the words to heart, but Naruto had a way of reminding Akari of these ideals, just like a character from a childhood book that inspired Akari to remain on the path of a ninja. _The Tale of the Utterly Gutsy Shinobi, or something like that. I found it in the library, the book wasn't even shelved so I didn't think the librarian would mind that much if I borrowed it...and kept it._

"Naruto, we needed a free flow of blood to clean the poison from your wound...but you've exceeded the need. You could bleed to death. I'm serious," Kakashi smiles.

"Nuh-uh! It isn't gonna happen! I'm not gonna die like this!" Naruto cries out, waving his bleeding hand around. At this point Akari had had enough. She double checks on her quarry before striding up to Naruto and grabbing his arm.

"Shut up," with her other hand she was pinching her nose shut to prevent her sense of smell from being overwhelmed. 

"Your hair grew out again!" With Naruto distracted, Kakashi wraps gauze around Naruto's wound. Sasuke pretended like he wasn't concerned as he watched from a distance. "It's alright isn't it?" Naruto asks worriedly, noticing Kakashi's lack of change in emotion. Akari gathered the hair that wasn’t covering her face into a low ponytail, it finally set in that they were out of immediate danger.

"It looks like you'll be fine,” Kakashi assures his student.

"Mr. Teacher, sir..." Tazuna cuts in. "I have something I need to say."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I forgot to mention this is my first time writing something like this. Action is complicated... (January 18, 2021)


	6. Zabuza's Sword, Akari's Interest

A wooden motor boat traveled quietly over the soft waves between the Land of Fire and the Land of Waves, the sound of the splashing paddle rowing them along was faint on the wind. It was foggy- good cover for team seven and their client, Tazuna, who revealed the person after his life was Gato, an influential person who received his wealth from less than savory deeds.

"We'll be able to see the bridge in a minute," the boatman tells the group quietly. "On the other side of it is the Nami no Kuni." Just as he said so, the looming, skeletal figure of the bridge Tazuna had spoken of, peered down on the five of them from the mist.

"Whoa! It's huge!" Naruto exclaims, breaking the quiet and tense atmosphere that had built up.

"Hey, keep it down! This mist'll keep us hidden but it won't smother sounds, why do you think I turned the engine off?" The boatman asks. 

Akari, Sasuke, and Naruto sat at the front of the canoe while Kakashi and Tazuna were seated behind them and the boatman rowing in the back. As they entered a tunnel, the boat dipped slightly and water to slosh in. Cold, gray light filtered in from the tunnel's exit, where the distant mangrove trees could be seen growing between the quiet houses built on top of the dull, blue seawater. 

"Wow..." Naruto trails off, his eyes glittering with excitement. The boat pulled up to a low dock, the wind whispering ominously as they disembarked.

"Take care of yourself," the boatman nods to Tazuna before revving his boat’s engine and stuttering away. 

They travel over rickety wooden planks before reaching land- where Naruto seems to become more alert. Sasuke slouches, uninterested with their surroundings and believing in his own ability to react quickly, like Akari. 

Akari was outwardly calm, but if one were to pay closer attention they would notice her fiddling with the folds of her clothes, her tongue nervously flicking behind her teeth in her mouth. Inside her there was a raging battle, like fire and water her thoughts seemed to clash then dissolve into a lingering mist repeatedly. One train of thought was dedicated to this silent war, whilst another watched her surroundings distrustingly. 

Akari skirts around a clump of bushes, jumping when she hears them rustle. A little ways behind her, Naruto reacts.

“Over there!” He calls out, hurling a shuriken in the direction of the noise. Unfortunately, the action was inconclusive, no ‘enemy ninja’ popped out from the greenery. “I-uh, guess it was only a mouse.”

“Please don’t play around with your shuriken, they can be a teensy bit dangerous!” Kakashi gestured cautioningly to his students.

Tazuna wasn’t as forgiving, Akari noticed he was trembling, annoyance building up within him. “Midget! Don’t go scaring us and messing with our heads!” He shouts. Momentarily distracted, Akari sighed and shook her head, though a small smile flicked her lips like a bird flitting from one tree to the next. 

Naruto animatedly walked away, his hands rested on his head as he mumbled something about swearing he could have seen someone. A different clump of bushes rustle this time, once again Naruto is the first to act- flinging his shuriken. “This time over there!”

Also sensing a presence, Akari approached the shrubbery with Naruto peering over her shoulder curiously; she tentatively pushed aside the leaves and thin branches to reveal a small, white rabbit.

“Just a rabbit?” Tazuna mutters, his arms crossed. 

Horrified by his mistake, Naruto holds the rabbit to his chest begging it to get better and apologizing profusely. This reveals the creature to Kakashi, who’s face darkens with slight bewilderment and Akari quickly catches on. The small mammal had a winter pelt rather than the spring pelt it would have if it were a wild hare at this time of the year.

Akari casts the senses out that she could, hearing, smell, and eyesight as she pivots around. The former and latter coming up short, however she could smell iron and a faint scent of body odor from behind the group. 

“Everyone! Take cover!” Kakashi orders them. 

Noticing Naruto’s lack of response in the split moment Akari’s eyes had fallen on him- she tackled him to the ground. He grunts, the breath knocked out of him as a deadly and thick sword spins with frightening speed over them and lodging itself into a tree, a whooshing sound reverberating in its wake.

After getting off of Naruto, Akari crouched and looked up to see a man standing on the handle of the sword, his back towards them exhibiting confidence. Though his face was slightly tilted in their direction, his eyes only seemed to see Kakashi. 

“Well if it isn’t Momochi Zabuza, the kid who ran off and left the Land of the Mists,” Kakashi announces with conviction, his hand holding Naruto back who had been preparing for a fight.

_Momochi Zabuza._

_It was a game, Akari would often lift bingo books from high ranking shinobi to see if they could catch him. The day was a still, warm summer one, as usual Naruto was creating ruckus causing many shinobi to chase after his elusive small figure. Akari was walking amongst the streets of Konoha, licking his cold popsicle when a bearded shinobi had landed a little ways before him. His hands were on his knees and he was panting, his guard down, Akari noticed the small signature bingo book of elite shinobi. He wondered how a jonin might lose their breath, his wonderment was answered when he noticed a pack of cigarettes and a lighter in one the man’s pockets._

_Akari had continued to walk past his right side without a single change in pace, his hand darting out and ‘borrowing’ the object that had caught his eye. The act went unnoticed and Akari was assured that the shinobi wouldn’t notice for a while after he saw him take chase after Naruto again, a cloud of dust and dirt kicked up when he leapt from the ground._

_Just in case, Akari had waited until he arrived at the safe and cool abode of his apartment to start flipping through the book. He came across a particularly interesting entry, Momochi Zabuza, Demon of the Hidden Mist, a foreboding moniker. He had leaned back into his couch, lifting the book above his head and reading it with growing curiosity._ ‘Possesses the Kubikiribōchō, the decapitating carving knife, a sword that can regenerate if broken utilizing the iron from the blood of its victims’. _Akari had heard about the “Seven Swordsmen of the Mist”, but he hadn’t been aware how amazing their swords were, their value overshadowed by the prowess of their wielders._

_As expected, Akari kept the bingo book, placing it with his growing collection. They were organized neatly in a bin hidden in his closet, he was rather proud of the six in his possession. He hadn’t thought about the characters in the books much after he had read about them, but the thought of Kubikiribōchō seemed to hover at the edges of his thoughts whenever he spoke of weapons._

That sword. That man. Well nevermind the man, Akari wanted that sword. 


	7. Extra: Pondering Existence

Akari had wandered around through the clan compounds of Konoha for a while, bored from the same bland scenery of the village center's streets where he often walked for a breath of air. He wasn't sure where he was, until he saw Shikamaru laying on his back by a gurgling stream, the sun beginning to set. 

"Hey Shikamaru," Akari greeted him, sitting down on the grassy slope under the shade of the tree were Shikamaru rested. "I have a question."

"Will it be a drag to answer?" Shikamaru asks, gazing at the clouds often meant he could rest his mind that seemed to always be at work whether he wanted it to or not. He didn't think much of Akari, though he acknowledged the fact that Akari never bothered him, Akari tried to never bother anyone for that matter.

"No..." Akari replies doubtfully. "Shikamaru, why do we exist?"

_ That is a drag... _ Shikamaru briefly thinks before his mind forms the answer. "I hate thinking about my existence," he tells Akari. "Because in truth it's rather pointless."

"It is?" Akari asks, Shikamaru was only affirming his wonderments, unfortunately.

"Yeah, it is. At first I thought I wanted to be recognized, without having to do work hard for it though. I thought that if someone said my name and everyone in the room could recognize it my life wouldn't have been pointless, I value individualism a bit you see _. _ Like if you mentioned the first hokage, Hashirama Senju, his name will be known for a very long time. But then I realized, things come and go, in reality we'll eventually forget this age of shinobi, though may it be in the very distant future. 

I had a goal, but when I realized my reasons for setting it I decided to give it up. Being happier in the moment should be more important, right? Sure it would be nice to be recognized, and Akari, our existence may be pointless, but our life isn't." 

"Wow."

"That's nothing 'wow' worthy," Shikamaru sighs and turns away from Akari who wouldn't meet his eyes. "I'm going to take a nap, so don't bother me anymore!" 

"Ah, right," Akari murmurs. "Sorry." He gets up, mindlessly, he walks away down the dirt path, his eyes on the ground. The weak light of the sun, the gentle breeze of dusk, and smell of shrubbery go unnoticed as he processes Shikamaru's words. 

Akari doesn't give up when he arrives home, dispelling her transformation jutsu she wonders how she can be happy. What makes a person happy? Akari found small joys in her collection of bingo books, a sense of pride. Did Shikamaru just mean she should only be happy to truly live her life? That couldn't be true, what he was trying to allude to was probably that experiencing every little and big emotion meant you were alive. 

Does that mean she should feel fulfilled at the end of the day? But Akari only did what she did because that's what the people around her expected from her. 

To ease her mind Akari found her way into the comforting abode of her room, a place with drawn blinds (for dim lighting), and warmth. She scurries to her bed, lifting the covers and diving under, setting her alarm as an afterthought.

_ "Akari's from the Hatake clan, right? She doesn't stand out, I thought she could actually make a good kunoichi."  _ Who had said that? No matter how hard she tried to recall the face of the teacher as she had turned the corner all she came up with was a blur.  _ The only reason I can attend the academy is because of the clan name I carry. A diamond in the rough, but I might as well just be a rock because no matter how you try to polish me I never seem to get better and instead become rougher. _

Rather than bothering the third hokage for permission, who for some reason had to manage orphans himself on top of his village work, Akari quietly snuck into the library as a result of those words. The scrolls of shinobi techniques were in the front, a place where the librarian could see her, but she was heading for the history section anyway.  _ Hatake clan? We learned about the clans that came together to form Konoha in our shinobi studies, but what sets clans aside from the people? What makes a good kunoichi?  _

She had been there past the time when the library closed, what she had learned was that there were no 'notable kunoichi' to speak of, the Hatake clan sounded impressive, but Akari never met anyone who was presently a famous Hatake. And for some reason she still felt the constant need to live up to the name, their expectations. 

She forgot about it, but it was important. Shikamaru values individuality, Akari never considered herself anyone worthy of anything. She often found herself sitting and watching the world pass around her, and yet she always felt a yearning feeling to stand up and make something of herself; become an individual worthy of her own expectations rather than someone else's. 

_ I could become a shinobi for myself...yeah, I should. _

The next day Akari was late for school. And Shikamaru was smiling to himself.


	8. One of the Three Great Dojutsu, Sharingan

“Kakashi of the sharingan eye, I presume?” Zabuza’s voice is rough and slightly gravelly, shivers of fear race perspiration down Akari’s back, nearly petrifying her limbs. “If it wouldn’t be too much trouble...could you surrender the old man?” Though his words implied a willingness to come to a consensus, it was clear that Zabuza was itching for a fight. 

“Assume the manji battle formation. Protect Mr. Tazuna,” Kakashi orders the team, his hand reaching for his forehead protector to move it away from his eye. “All of you stay out of the fight, that’s the kind of teamwork this situation demands.” 

The three genin swiftly get into position, ready with kunai out, Sasuke stands in front of Tazuna, Akari stands on his left and Naruto stands to his right, each focusing their eyes on their designated area of vision. _The sharingan, one of three great dojutsu, a bloodline trait unique to the_ dead _Uchiha clan. Kakashi keeps his eye covered...assuming he can’t deactivate the sharingan eye he possesses; he probably had it transplanted. Odd, considering the Uchiha clan was known for having a lot of pride in their skills, take Sasuke for example. Perhaps a friend gave it willingly? Or maybe he did something for their clan?_

“I’m on a tight schedule to polish off the old man...but it looks like I’m going to have to kill you first, Kakashi,” Zabuza muses.

The ninja leaps away, grabbing his sword and securing it on his back. He stands on the river of water flowing before the group, shocking the genin guarding Tazuna. With one arm raised above his head and the other in front of his body he murmurs just loud enough for them to hear.

“The finest of the ninja arts, the Kirigakure jutsu.” 

Kakashi warns the group to stay on their guard, “Momochi Zabuza, formerly of the Kirigakure assassin corps, is a infamous master of the art of silent killing.”

Akari heeds to Kakashi’s words, casting her senses out once more she prepares herself. 

Fog rolls into the quiet clearing like a wave, the soon-to-be-battlefield silent save for Akari’s thudding heart as it beat in her chest.

“ _There are eight targets,”_ Zabuza’s voice snakes its way through the fog, coming from every disorienting direction possible. “ _Throat, spinal column, lungs, liver, the jugular vein, the subclavian artery, kidney, heart. So many choices,”_ he ponders his options with nerve-racking glee.

The area returns to an anticipatory silence. 

It comes suddenly, a cold, dank feeling creeping its way towards Akari’s heart, wrapping around it then clenching it tightly. A feeling that without doubt would drag her back to depths of shame and fear, _a feeling that could make her kill herself._ This was Zabuza’s lust for blood, his desire to kill, a thirst he would soon quench- but Akari would rather plunge her kunai into her chain-wrapped heart.

“Sasuke, Akari.” _Ah._ “Calm down. Even if he gets me- I’ll still protect you...I will never let my comrades die,” Kakashi turns to them with a smile. The words warm on groundless logic comforted them, erratic thoughts and all.

_I wouldn’t bet on that._

Akari’s stomach drops as Zabuza’s presence is suddenly behind her, her muscles tense to leap away- the action never coming because Kakashi is there to stop Momochi. Blade in hand, he drives the weapon right into Zabuza’s stomach below his ribs. Zabuza disappears, his body replaced with a collection of water in his image and this time he appears behind Kakashi swinging his mighty sword right through the jonin, who disappears in the aforementioned like.

Akari swings around, her body following the gaze that observed the exchange. The next blows are a blur, happening so suddenly that Akari deigns to keep up- her job was to protect Tazuna; but...Kakashi. Thoughts scrambling and rearranging Akari processes the picture of her teacher trapped in a water prison jutsu, Zabuza his jailer. 

Another water clone appears, approaching the group from the water. “Little ninja wannabe,” Zabuza laughs, lacking all humor. “Trying so hard to fit in, you even wear hitai-ate headbands. A true ninja is one who has crossed and recrossed the barrier between the lands of the living and the dead. Clothes don’t make a shinobi, you need skills good enough to rate a listing in my bingo book of enemies before you deserve to be called ninja. We don’t call your kind “ninja” we call them…”

Momochi vanishes, reappearing to kick Naruto away, his hitai-ate coming off in the process. 

“Naruto!” Akari’s voice leaves her in a whisper, even now she is unwilling to use her vocal chords. She runs to his aid, fury stopping her when she hears the real Zabuza finish his clone’s sentence.

“...brats.”

“Everyone listen! _Take Tazuna and go! It’s a fight you can’t win,_ ” Kakashi somehow shouts from the confines of his situation. 

Naruto is the first to move though, ignoring their teacher’s warnings, launching himself towards Zabuza only to be kicked backwards again. Akari’s eyes widen with anger and concern for him, though she quickly shuts down her expressions. 

Blood dripping from his split lip, Naruto stands, hitai-ate in hand. He asks, “Hey...you...what’s life like without eyebrows freak?”

He taunts the proclaimed ninja, and perhaps it was the imbalance of adrenaline rushing through Akari’s head that caused her to quietly tell Sasuke she was going for the enemy's weapon- her presence imperceptible as she seems to disappear into the shadows Sasuke’s 'Uchiha language' falling deaf on her ears.

“Sasuke, listen up, I have a plan,” Naruto says.

With the attention drawn away from Akari, and Tazuna’s assent given for them to rescue their sensei, she lays in wait for the opportunity. Listening to Zabuza’s words, Akari doesn’t make the mistake of letting them affect her. He killed his classmates? Okay, but his clone could still notice her...though no one else had. 

The dark feeling from before appears from the clone at his words saying what a fun time he had ‘back in the day’. 

And that was when Akari looped around Zabuza, walking on water was just chakra manipulation, it was just simple. Her mind at ease under the cover of the fog, Akari easily takes the Kubikiribōchō from the real Momochi Zabuza, slipping it from its holster, just that. Relying on the ghost feeling of the weapon remaining on his back, Akari lets herself slowly sink into the water to swim away.

That wasn’t easy. The sword was heavy and though Akari could swim, but she still hated the suffocating feeling of it. It slowly sapped her stamina as she quietly exited the river on the other side, downstream from Naruto’s shadow doppelganger ploy. 

Stabbing the sword into the wet dirt, Akari shivers, clothes clinging coldly to her skin. She evens out her breathing at the low cost of sharp pain in her lungs. 

She watches Sasuke throw two large shuriken, one in the shadow of the other, the first caught by Zabuza’s free hand. His clone, dodging. The second he leaped over, except it wasn’t actually a shuriken, but Naruto with a kunai ready to throw; and throw he did, the weapon heading for the arm supporting Kakashi’s water prison.

Naruto lands in the water, bobbing with the ripples caused by his splash. 

Akari darts across the water to Naruto, she regretfully leaves the wonderful sword she acquired behind her. Akari could go back for it, Naruto needed to be pulled out of the way because Zabuza was furious, in the darkness of the moment he had released his water clone and Kakashi.

He brings his hand down, shuriken looming, Akari gauges the distance and realizes she won’t get there in time.

Hopefully his injury wouldn’t be critical.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I got kicked from an Among Us lobby for naming myself Kurama and following Naruto around. Among Us isn't all that...what? My feelings were totally not hurt at all...I'm not biased...


	9. Senbon Needles Require a Precise Hand

Kakashi managed to come to clutch, blocking the shuriken that endangered his comrade with the back of his fist that now bled. 

At that time Akari had made her way to Naruto, surprising and embarrassing him when he realized he forgot about her. 

“A-Akari?” Befuddled by her ability to walk on water, Naruto flounders for words and purchase in the chilly river.

“Well done,” Kakashi praises the team. He hadn’t neglected to notice the absence of Zabuza’s sword, along with the remaining fact that Naruto had thought ahead and succeeded with his plan.

Akari nods, and out of a sense of habit and humility she does not let her pride show on her face. Naruto, someone who finds a reason to smile in the smallest of things grins at the compliment, his mouth opening to explain how he had done it.

Rather than letting him waste his breath, Akari secures her arms underneath Naruto’s armpits, dragging him through the water, away from the ninja, and towards the shore. This was a good idea because seconds later the Hatake and Momochi lept away from one another, performing katas with freakish accuracy and speed, finally finishing with tori, sign of the bird.

Soaking wet, Naruto gazes in awe at the water dragons that formed from the jutsu, next to him Akari shivers as a gust of wind hits her mercilessly. The splash caused by the water dragon missles launched at each other sprays the hapless kids and disrupts the routine flow of the river.

At this point Zabuza had finally noticed his missing sword, he had been not aware of his predicament, he had not expected these puny genin to be so bold as to disarm him. He once again resorts to ninjutsu rather than the kenjutsu that he tended to rely on. Kakashi is one step ahead, completing the hand signs before the enemy rather than copying. _Water Style, Giant Waterfall._ The funnel of water blasts Zabuza back to the shore, the excess flooding either side of the river. 

“What…?” Zabuza glares in fear at Kakashi, who flickered to a branch in the tree where Zabuza laid stunned. “Can you see the future?” Even he himself disbelieves his own words.

“I foresee your death,” Kakashi growls, drawing a kunai.

He did not end up killing Momochi Zabuza, two senbon needles- skillfully thrown, did.

The culprit laughs to themself. “Your prediction came true,” a masked traditional ninja says. Even from a distance, Akari was able to tell that the shinobi was smiling, she had gained the ability to figure out masked facial expressions from other cues; this skill she learned from observing Kakashi.

The ninja’s stature was small leading Akari to believe they were around her age, they wore a pinstriped outfit beneath a green haori with white trimmings, their pants coming short loosely just beneath their knees. Worried, Naruto dives back into the river to swim to the other side, Akari follows him in the same manner. 

The two clamber out of the body of water, leaving a wet trail behind they make their way towards the interaction, their sensei jumping down from his perch, placing himself between the unknown ninja and his students. He identifies the Kirigakure nin as hunter shinobi, people who track and hunt down rogues and outlaws from their village. 

The masked ninja teleports in a whirl of wind and collects Zabuza’s body. He bids them goodbye and leaves in the same way he arrived, quietly and without fuss.

From the corner of Akari’s eye Naruto whips his head back and forth between where Zabuza’s corpse was and where the hunter nin had shot their senbon needles from. 

“Alright, we still have to escort Mr. Tazuna the rest of his way home,” Kakashi says drowsily, placing his hand on Naruto’s head to reassure him. He shifts his hitai-ate back over his sharingan, letting out a sigh he begins to walk away and somehow among his sure footsteps he tripped and fell to the ground- exhausted beyond measure.

“Ka-ka-shi-sensei,” Akari whines, he flickers around his resting body, repeatedly poking Kakashi’s sides. Akari wasn’t sure how to act, his teacher was put into the line of fire which resulted in him being bedridden. As one hand plays with a short lock of hair framing his face, Akari felt an emotion akin to nervousness though from what he had learned it was most likely worry. 

_This is what it’s like to worry?_

“I know Tenzo...Mr. Ukki...water…” Kakashi murmurs in his sleep.

Akari tilts his head to the side, Naruto creeping up behind him.

“Heheh, let’s take off his mask. He seems sound asleep…” Naruto suggests, already reaching for the cloth.

“Oh!” Kakashi gasps, sitting up abruptly.

“Eh!” Akari squeaks, he jumps backward, accidentally hitting the wall.

“How did that hunter ninja dispose of Zabuza’s corpse?” Kakashi asks.

“How should we know?” Akari asks, he pouts while twisting around weirdly to rub his back- where he could swear he felt a bruise forming. “The ninja took the corpse with him.”

“Ah, yes, exactly,” Kakashi murmurs, he holds his gloved hands up to his chin contemplatively. “It is likely that Zabuza is still alive.”

After Kakashi’s shocking revelation he led them to the woods behind Tazuna’s house, for training. He explained that ninjutsu was the result of balancing spiritual/mental chakra and physical chakra through hand signs. If hand signs are used to _only_ focus the chakra for ninjutsu, hypothetically one could perform jutsus without them. 

_Or rather theoretically, the second hokage managed to cut down the number of hand signs used for his water style jutsus apparently...I should look it up in the records._

“To improve your mastery of chakra you’ll be climbing trees,” Kakashi announces, a sly smile creating a shadow on the surface of his mask.

“Climb trees?” Naruto asks, he squints at Kakashi in disbelief.

“Without your hands,” he explains, “like this.” 

Kakashi proceeded to walk up the tree vertically as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Of course, Akari already knew the secret to how this worked, just yesterday he had been walking on water. 

“Akari already knows this, so while I’m resting he’ll be helping you,” Kakashi says this while hanging upside down from a branch.

“Wait-” before Akari could finish his sentence Kakashi had already flickered away.

“So…” Sasuke turns to Akari hesitantly, unwilling to ask for help.

“You’ll need to focus your chakra to the soles of your feet, start running to get momentum at first,” Akari explains quietly, he walks up to the tree and pats it. _Is this normal? Why did I just pat the tree?_

“I see,” Sasuke says. 

At that moment Kakashi flickered back to tell them: “Oh and to show your efforts, mark the tree with your kunai, and Akari...you're lacking a lot of physical chakra so ask Naruto for a training routine or something.” He disappears in a swirl of wind and dust, leaving his team dumbfounded.

“Umm, Naruto?” Akari asks, his left brow crinkling slightly.

The blonde laughs awkwardly. “Well, I usually do fifty-ish sit-ups, forty push-ups, then lift weights or something. I do other exercises but you can do whatever,” he laughs again.

Akari scratches the back of head, ruffling his pale gray hair as he walks away. “Call me if you need anything,” he shouts, turning back to them briefly. The two knuckleheads didn’t seem to hear him as they were already running up their own trees. “Hmm.”

He soon found the perfect place, a meadow a little ways off from where he could hear the heavy breathing and grunts of his team mates as they trained. Normally Akari would separate his spiritual chakra into two categories, what he was going to use, and what he wasn’t. Balancing his vast amounts of mental energy with his (in comparison) small amounts of physical chakra was much easier then. 

Akari sits down on the dark green ground cover, it was damp from mid-afternoon fog, though not wet enough that the dirt was muddy. He leans over slightly to the side to remove the weapons pack bound to his thigh over his dark blue hakama pants. 

Akari leans back onto the ground, rather than sitting back up again to begin his physical training he is very suddenly interested in the leaves sprouting from the tree branches overhead, and the glimpses of the cloudy sky between. 

“Eh, Akari?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I misspelled Akari's name as Akira, I have to change it now...(Feb. 5, 2021)
> 
> I feel like I wrote Akari's character as something like: 'I won't directly interfere with the lives of those around me, but taunt me and my pride dictates I'll do something which is like punching you in the face (to me) but something less (to you).' I love Akari because he's the first character I've written thirteen chapters for, but I also hate him because I based the quiet internalized thinking parts of him off myself. I'm glad reading action manga gave me an idea of how to write action scenes. (Feb. 22, 2021)


	10. Extra: Nostalgia and Monachopsis

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: This chapter mentions suicide.

Akari was tired. He was always tired at the end of the day, his exhausted physical chakra reserves recuperating from overuse. Akari often tormented himself over his choices, sometimes days or weeks after he made them; his thoughts were always ahead or behind him- never with him. No matter how hard he tried, his mental chakra reserves never seemed to wither away like his physical would.

It was a good thing that the students had today off from the academy, the day the first hokage died was a day to remember Konoha’s past, apparently. On such seldom days Akari would stick to his routine of walking through the village under the guise of his transformation jutsu from the chilly, early hours of morning to the sunny, cloudy, or windy afternoon. Today was the sort of day that Akari would forgo such regimens, the sort of day that he woke up feeling exhausted after a full night's rest. 

He had been dreaming the stories of other people, the first who always seemed certain about their decisions- which most often were the right ones. The second a rush of left over emotions and thoughts. They were weird dreams, they spanned over several years and yet when Akari woke up it had only been a few hours. 

_ He was in the Tetsu no Kuni, the Land of Iron, a place covered in cold, cold snow. He had black hair instead of white, it was tied in a low ponytail- flyaways dancing on the wind. He wore many layers of clothing, his coat and mittens were lined with white fur- and he was young. Perhaps five or so, gazing into his moving reflection in the pointed icicles forming under the roof’s overhanging. Akari wasn’t sure how he knew, but he was certain it was his first time outside, or his first memory of being outside. The black haired kid who’s body Akari possessed moved on its own, reaching for his image, flushed cheeks and nose on pale skin.  _

_ “Arita!”  _

_ The sharp voice calls out from behind him. His head whips in the direction, retreating away from the icicles and running to a woman with the same black hair and same dark, warm eyes. Inside of Akari, or rather Arita, there bubbled a feeling of warmth. Happiness.  _

_ “Sorry mother,” his mouth moves automatically. _

_ “You did nothing wrong, we merely need to get a move on,” the tall woman responds. Arita grasps onto her hand with his own mittened one, they walk through stone streets up to a larger house. It was wood, like their own home, the roof slanting down from one point in the center then curving back up… _

_...Now Arita was older, he had been growing up learning kenjutsu, the art of the sword.  _

_ “Remember, Arita, to not use your katana for selfish desires. It is dedicated to the people of this land that we protect. You are not a samurai yet, still learning our way, make sure not to lose yourself along this path.” _

_ Arita nodded and continued to swing his wooden practice sword, pouring his chakra into the dull thing to form a blade… _

_...Arita was an adult, he had completed numerous duties as a samurai, first he had started patrolling the borders between Tetsu no Kuni and the other lands, then he had focused on rising through the ranks. He was a kind man, and he never did anything for himself, his reasons for seeking acknowledgement from his superiors was one of the ways he could honor his (now dead) master and mother.  _

_ Little did he know that would be the reason he died. _

_ Accused of a heinous crime he did not commit by jealous compatriots the only option he had was to honorably commit seppuku. _

Akari woke up at that point, a burning, ghost feeling following a line from the left side of his stomach to the right. Warmth from the blanket he was buried under seeped into his cold body, confusion clouds Akari’s mind.

He falls asleep again, feverishly.

_ “...S...mo…” _

_ “...dad…?” _

_ In snippets of memories a rush of quiet, loud, cold, and warm images play out from Akari’s eyes. Inherited memories perhaps. Akari had heard of those. _

Akari broke from the blurred scenes, raising his hands to his face, his dim surroundings felt surreal compared to the constantly moving dream he had.  _ Slow.  _ He lifts up the gray hair spread around his face on his pillow, and that’s when he realizes it.  _ Right, I’m still a girl.  _

Anger and disappointment mob the peaceful memories she had focused on. Akari turns to her side, and for once she lets the tears she had been holding back flow. 

She cries herself back to a dreamless sleep, and when she wakes up she does not remember.


	11. Dinner is Best Eaten with Others

Team Seven sat around Tazuna's dinner table, the dark brown haired mother, Tsunami, Tazuna's daughter, was at the kitchen sink washing the dishes dirtied after cooking their dinner. Akari ate slowly when it came to meals like this, a meal she should savor rather than devour in order to not be overwhelmed for fear of her sense of smell being burdened with scents of vegetables, rice, and fish. 

"It's delicious," she murmurs, placing her bowl of rice down. She had not eaten properly earlier in the day, exhaustion topped on with sleep deprivation and the light training from the morning broiled the food in her stomach causing her to force herself to hold it down with a glass of water.

Naruto and Sasuke were not so elegant- unceremoniously gobbling up their food then asking for more with full mouths. As soon as the two made eye contact, a non-verbal agreement was formed: _whoever eats the most wins;_ this was a bad idea because as soon as they swallowed they regurgitated what they had eaten.

"What a waste of good food." She sighs. "I'm going to eat outside, I don't want to lose my appetite around you two."

After scooping up her bowl, Akari followed up with her quiet words. She tied her hair into a low ponytail, leaving the front half to frame her face, and her long bangs to cascade down to her slightly flushed nose and over her eyes. She sat down on the lonely wooden planks that made up the front porch and quietly continued her meal. 

"Mah..." this noise came from behind Akari, from Kakashi. "Akari-kun, dinner is best eaten with others."

"No, it doesn't taste any different," she cast him an expression void of emotion as he sat down beside her.

"That's not what I meant..." he sighed. "As my student I have to claim some responsibility over you..." Kakashi admits reluctantly.

"Hmm..."

"So, what's wrong?"

"Nothings wrong."

"How do I say this...? I should rescind my previous statement, why do you act this way?"

"Act in what way?"

"Like you don't care about the mission as much as you should...Sasuke told me that you were slacking off on your physical training earlier."

"Even if I don't care as much as I should I'll probably be able to complete the mission with the team."

"Is that so?"

"That's so."

Kakashi grunts, tired of Akari who had won their small, verbal war.

Crickets thrilling their wings mobbed the forest outside the room where the team of genin were resting. Naruto's snores added onto the dissonance of sounds, not helping Akari who lay on her back staring at the wooden slats of the ceiling. Sleeping never came easy, even though Akari was an expert at daydreaming her thoughts encroached on a maladaptive boundary causing her to never rest her mind.

"Go to sleep," Sasuke murmurs, so quietly that Akari almost missed it.

"It shouldn't bother you if I'm awake."

"I can hear your breathing," he complains. The sound of his movement stirring what little room the action had.

"I don't hear you saying anything to Naruto," Akari replies, her voice a steady whisper, her mind quick to simmer then cool from smothered annoyance.

"Why are you still awake?" Sasuke tries.

"Too many things to think about," she replies with a sigh, lifting the arm close to Sasuke up in the air and the other pulling up her blanket.

"Liar, you always have an easy time clearing your mind during the daytime." She wasn't sure how he knew that. Maybe he was more attentive to other people than she thought.

"'During the daytime.' Why are you still awake?" 

"Why do you think?" he asks dryly.

"You're scared?" Her guard slips as Akari blurts her answer- on her right Sasuke bolts into a sitting position and glares at her. She tilts her head in his direction, eyes blank.

"What do you know?"

"It's normal to be scared of sleeping if you have nightmares." Perhaps Akari's mind was already half-asleep because she had said the words before she could predict the consequences.

"I don't have nightmares. I'm not scared of anything," Sasuke argues, his voice rising just out of a whisper.

" _Liar._ "

"Hmph." Sasuke turns away before falling back onto his futon, ending their conversation.

With an increasing heartbeat, Akari anxiously turns away and questions how everything she just said might accidentally strengthen or weaken her acquaintanceship with Sasuke.

Several days, and a few lapses of self doubt later, team seven (with the exception of Naruto) and Tazuna arrive in the early morning on the bridge construction site- before them a scene of injured construction workers and battered equipment. It was easy for Akari to understand the situation.

"What the hell?" Tazuna shuffles forward quickly, lifting up one of the more conscious workers. "What could have happened?!"

"Mo-monsters," the scared worker stuttered.

Mist rolls over the bridge, confirming that Zabuza had returned. 

"Been a while, Kakashi," Zabuza growls through the mist. "And I see that you've got those brats tagging along just like last time. And the little boy is trembling again, poor thing, and the other is frozen."

In Akari's peripheral vision Sasuke was indeed shaking, though Akari doubted it was with fear. He himself was staying absolutely still not because he was scared, instead because he was still adjusting to the circumstances. 

Instantaneously with the end of his words, Zabuza surrounds the group with water clones.

"I'm shaking with eagerness for a rematch," Sasuke declares lowly.

"Go ahead...Sasuke, Akari," Kakashi acknowledges the two genin. Akari draws his tanto, a short sword, with the blade as an extension to his arm he whips it out and demolishes three water clones- behind him Sasuke does the same with two kunai.

"Well, my water doppelgangers were obviously no match for you," Zabuza tilts his head to the side- as if he was going to laugh. "It seems the brats have matured quite a bit into worthy rivals. Eh, Haku?" 

Next to the rogue ninja stood the phony tracker nin from the week before. "Indeed!" He said with a light tone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Every morning I look in the mirror and I think: my hair looks even more delightfully fluffy today.


	12. The Secret Arts of Water Release

Succeeding Zabuza's attack, Haku and Sasuke leapt forward meeting the middle to come to a stalemate as the masked ninja stopped Sasuke's kunai with a senbon needle.

"Akari, you and I will cover Tazuna, Sasuke will handle Haku," Kakashi ordered, switching his position from directly in front of Tazuna to being just to the side of him.

"Mhm," Akari nods. He maintains his form of standing slightly crouched. He was light on the ground in case he needed to counter an attack; he flips his tanto around so the blade exits from the end of his fist rather than the front, a much more effective method.

Sasuke is no longer locked in battle with Haku, who forms a hand sign that Akari did not recognize, water rises from the ground molding into large rectangular mirrors as they freeze. The jutsu imprisons Sasuke, Akari observes with curiosity as Haku steps into the mirror and becomes two dimensional on the side of the ice sculptures facing Sasuke. He takes a step forward, but Kakashi's hand darts out to stop him.

"I don't know this technique," Kakashi warns him.

_But it is unwise to be scared of the unknown._

Akari pushes his hand aside, but also takes a step back. As his eyes move from Kakashi back to Haku trepidation turns into alarm as he sees dozens of senbon needles whipping around Sasuke's huddled figure, the traces of a fire jutsu dwindling away before the ice. 

"Sorry," Akari mutters, his head turning briefly to Tazuna in apology. He darts forward, dodging Kakashi's hand this time in a rush to fight Haku, and save Sasuke. On his way he hurls a shuriken towards one of the mirrors during a gap between Haku's attack towards his teammate. It whips through the air, only to be knocked aside by Haku who leaned out of one of the mirrors. 

_Why did he deflect it? The fire jutsu didn't go into the mirror, but if the shuriken could then it makes sense that he'd deflect it._ Akari grunts as he slides between the mirrors, tanto blade spinning from his dominant hand to his left to block the senbon needles thrown his way, the ones thrown from behind him ripping through his yukata-like sleeves. 

"He blocked my shuriken himself!" Akari siddles up to his teammate’s backside, once again blocking the onslaught of senbon needles- and missing a few. 

"Clones?" Sasuke asks quietly, Akari understood the implication. In the heat of the moment Akari forgets his sentiments, sheathing his blade he releases his transformation jutsu- and creates four shadow clones. 

The shadow clones protect Akari and Sasuke to the best of their ability as the two of them try to figure out the jutsu.

"My fire style didn't work on it."

"The senbon needles are coming at us from different directions."

"They leave at different times."

"A system? Doppelgangers, who's the real one?"

"Switching probably uses chakra...can we wear him out?"

Their conversation cuts off briefly as multiple large shuriken whoosh past the mirrors from Zabuza's direction to Naruto, who had just arrived. 

"Zabuza, I want to fight the boy in my own way," Haku announces, slipping out of the mirror and knocking the weapons away from Naruto.

"Naive as always..." Zabuza murmurs, turning back to Kakashi.

"He can't have the senbon needles exit at the same time?" Akari muses, she flinches at a senbon needle as it rips through her side, her eyes still flitting around their prison.

"I'm here to save you!" The whisper comes from Naruto, Akari glances his way once, then again as she registers his presence. Disappointment shows on her face unmasked.

"Make yourself useful then," Akari tells him despondently. She releases her shadow clones and gestures to Naruto, who she was certain had more chakra than her, it had only been a minute or two and even then Akari could tell she didn't have enough physical chakra. _I'm starting to regret my decisions._

Naruto grins happily, though the expression is wiped off his face as senbon needles penetrate and lodge themselves into his back. He sinks to the floor next to Sasuke, who hesitantly reaches out. Akari unsheathes her tanto blade as she lunges in their direction, slowly compared to the weapons whipping through the air, some clipping her and others piercing her legs and stomach. She ignores the pain, spreading from several different points in her body. She can hear her teammates' hearts beating along with her's, and faintly... _Haku's?_

Sasuke swings away from Naruto, eyes boring into Akari briefly before turning to the many mirrors surrounding them. Frosty wind swirls and brings a scent somewhere between stale and fresh, Akari's heart hammers in her chest. She crouches down and gently grabs Naruto, heaving him into a sitting position, remembering Sasuke's eyes briefly. Naruto stirs, but remains unconscious. 

She searches his person, satisfied when her hand grasps a roll of bandages. She takes Naruto's jacket off, it was damaged beyond repair anyway, she waists no gentleness on pulling out the needles, wrapping the bandages around his torso underneath his shirt. Akari can hear Sasuke move, probably dodging an attack. His presence felt different, like Kakashi's when he got serious.

_Thwick. Twickthick._

The sound was the same as when Naruto had been hit. Akari turns her head, cracks formed in her will as she notices her teammate’s figure, bloodied from wounds. The smell wafts to her nose through the mist that had thinned slightly, nausea waves to her as it comes. 

She drops Naruto, and suddenly she understands that _she could probably die._ Hyperventilating- she neither notices when Naruto wakes, nor does she register his raging presence when he sees their situation.Naruto, and suddenly she understands that _she would probably die._ Hyperventilating- she neither notices when Naruto wakes, nor does she register his raging presence.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I try to update every ten days. I think that Akari should train her body under Tsunade. 
> 
> I noticed how the water prison jutsu outside swirls a bit like the rasengan (that's just for a mental image), it would be cool if Akari had some type of big swirly water thing to encase her body so she can fight on par with Naruto and Sasuke. Though the eyes would be an obvious weak spot since she needs to see through the swirling water. 
> 
> I had to stop being lazy and look up water's conductivity, https://www.usgs.gov/special-topic/water-science-school/science/conductivity-electrical-conductance-and-water?  
> My theory is that when using a chakra change in nature to water, the water will be 'pure' which makes a good insulator...not what Akari wants. (Apparently because Tobirama had a lot of chakra he could generate a lot of water, that fact kindled my theory). I want to make Akari reasonably OP to be stronger than Sasuke and Naruto. If she uses surrounding resources, like the Valley of the End, the conductivity should be good. I'm going out on a limb for this...she would be a good teammate for Sasuke's lighting release, however, I noticed the main characters of Naruto have multiple releases. Thank you for reading this far. If Akari develops lighting release to back up her water release I hope she can truly be strong. 
> 
> Next time on J.K.U.'s chakra theories: yin release and Akari's absurd amount of spiritual chakra...I might find something to blabber on about.


	13. An Affliction of Liberosis

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: sex work and sexual assault are implied/mentioned in this chapter

_ "Hey kid, you shouldn't be 'round here," the rough 'street' speech originates from the mouth of a woman. Nobody looked after Akari, so when she wandered into the edges of the red light district at eight-years-old she didn't have any qualms. _

_ Akari looks up from the ground, a furrow between her brow. There were always weird smells around this area, a place closer to Akari's apartment than it should be.  _

_ "Girl, ain't you know this the red light district?" The woman tilts her head to the side, taking a few steps forward in front of Akari. _

_ "What's that?"  _

_ "Where we prostitutes sell our bodies. How else we gon’ get money?" She pauses. "Ain't your mother teach you nothin'?" _

_ "I'm an orphan," Akari replies, brushing her hair out of her face as it had fallen down again. _

_ "Dear, all the more reason to stay away. Whatchu been up to then?"  _

_ "I'm training to be a kunoichi!" Akari replies happily, as she did often. _

_ "Not much difference between us then," the woman tells her. "Lest you become a medic, like I was, what? Seven-eight years ago?" She muses, pushing her dark hair away from her neck. _

_ "Miss, you got bruises," Akari tells her, imitating her way of speech. _

_ "Y'know kid, if you really don' wanna listen, come back here 'round midday, not durin' the morning 'cause the women here are grumpy 'round then, and not 'round dusk, I ain't gonna tell you why though. Orphans in your line of work don't end up too good, like orphans in my line of work," she tells the kid, patting her shoulder twice before turning around, lighting a cigarette to stick in her mouth, and walking away. _

_ Akari never learned her name, but the woman never asked for hers. Their relationship was an odd one, telling each other stories and sometimes about their dreams. The woman had taken it upon herself to teach her 'what a woman was 'cause no one else is gonna tell ya''. And Akari never really got it until one day when she came running up to the brothel as she usually did on Sundays, except today no one came to greet her, no one came to guide her like they usually did. _

_ "Miss?" Akari tugs on the sleeves of one of the girls passing by her in a rush. Worry clouds her mind as she can not only smell that weird scent but also blood. "What happened?" _

_ "Kid? You shouldn' be 'ere t'day," she warns her. "One o' the customers got violent last nigh', they went and came back this mornin' even though we warned 'em not to."  _

_ Akari frowns, still holding onto the girl's sleeve she asks, "where's big sis?" And there was only one person who she referred to as such. _

_ "Kid,  _ go home. _ " The girl she was talking to told her sternly.  _

_ "Where's big sis?" she asks again, remembering the smell of blood. Remembering the sight of bruises on the sex workers. _

_ "Kid, you can't do nothin'," she roughly grabs Akari's arm and drags her away, marching her up to the street where she had first wandered into the area. "It'd be wise to ne'er come back, got it?" _

_ "Got it..." Akari's eyes water slightly at the harsh tone, she stumbles away wiping tears away as they roll down her cheeks.  _

_ That was the end of it. _

Akari inhales sharply when she realizes she is crying, ugly, pitiful tears, in the present as well. She can no longer hear Sasuke's heartbeat and his body was only falling in temperature. Heaving sobs cripple her as she leans forward and rests her head on the ground, hugging herself for comfort she loses herself in a turmoil of internal conflict, and maybe, just maybe, she wasn't only crying for Sasuke, but also for all the emotions she had lost through the past three years of going with the flow.

"Akari?" 

She gasps, looking up to see Sasuke opening his eyes, she reaches out a hand and pokes his cheek, a little more harshly than she intended.

"Ouch."

"Sorry." Akari stares at her hand, the gentle feeling of budding warmth in his cheek whispering reassurance to her. 

"I'm alive, stop over thinking it," Sasuke tells her quietly, she glances back to his face as he stares up at the cloudy sky. 

"I couldn't do nothin'," she sniffles, tripping over her usual speech patterns.

"Shut up, help me get up," Sasuke says gruffly, he winces as he moves to a sitting position. 

Akari nods, but prioritizes wiping away her tears to fix her own appearance. She lifts Sasuke's arm over her shoulder and helps him stand up, in the distance the rest of their team stands with Tazuna by Zabuza and Haku's corpses as they had died somewhere along the line when Akari's head was submerged in the ocean that was her mind. 

"Akari, you should cut your hair," Sasuke splutters, coughing as the wind blew strands into his mouth, a gentle snowfall had started in the Land of Waves, a rare sight. Akari stares at her teammate blankly as what he said dawns on her.

"I should have cut it from the beginning..." she murmurs in wonderment as she tucks the flyaways behind her ear and wipes snot dribbling down from her nose with her free arm’s sleeve.

"Sasuke!" Naruto shouts, his voice, hopeful, as he turns around and sees him standing up.

"I'm alright." His slight smile of reassurance betrayed his coarse tone. 

"Ah...me too," Akari murmurs just loud enough for her words to carry to her other teammates' ears. 

"Liar," Sasuke loftily tells her from the corner of his mouth, slightly smug for his ability to call her out.

"Yeah, we've both become porcupines with senbon needles for our spikes, neither of us are telling the truth," Akari shoots back, the words falling out of her mouth fast and easy.

Two weeks later with the completion of the bridge team seven delivered offerings to Zabuza and Haku's graves. After the battle that took their opponents lives all three genin had reflected on what happened, coming to the conclusion that the duo wasn't as evil as they had previously thought. Ignorance is bliss, and Akari wished he could have gone on believing Zabuza and Haku were heartless 'demons' rather than the humans, with emotions, they were.

"I'm going to create my own nindo," Naruto declares, a slight pout on his face. "My own ninja path, my own destiny." 

Kakashi's visible eye crinkled at the corner, glad that the mission they took hadn’t affected his students negatively.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sasuke's instincts told him to protect Naruto? Brain go brrr demon fox go grrr. (i don't know if I used that right.)
> 
> I had to tweak the morale of the Land of Waves arc a bit, rather than addressing one's existence (as I did in chapter seven) I wanted to differentiate between knowing your opponent as your enemy and knowing them as a human that might have to kill. Akari did not hear Haku's dialogue in the 'original' story line but since Naruto has, he ends up focusing on his 'nindo' and proving himself while Akari focuses on shinobi morals and the village; this might end up pushing Akari's character development down the priority list so it'll probably end up being slow...
> 
> Now to yin and yang chakra releases. Yang release techniques utilize physical chakra energy while yin release techniques use spiritual energy (the Nara clan's shadow styles, the Yamanaka clan's mind techniques). I'll leave the rest of this brainstorming for the next chapter...


End file.
